To Last Ages
by Galinda Burroughs 417
Summary: Friends, Enemies, Gryffindors, Slytherins... History is turned around when one unsuspecting Gryffindor falls for the most unlikely Slytherin... Totally AU. Please R&R! Updated: Chapters 2, 3, 4, and 5 are up now! sorry for the delay!
1. The Stings of Life

Chapter One

**AN: If you are strictly opposed to Snape/Lily, than leave now. I know this is an odd pairing to write about, but after reading Chapter 33 in DH, I decided this was a rather sweet pairing and it might change the outcome of Harry's life. Heck, he might not have even existed if this pairing happened. THIS DOES CONTAIN SPOILERS TO THE LAST BOOK!! So don't read it if you haven't read DH. And am not posting this to receive hate-mail from those who despise this pairing. I will be delighted to read constructive criticism, but please do not send me angry messages because you don't like this pairing! Okay, to the story now!!**

Severus Snape was a small boy, even for his age of ten years old. At ten, he was like no other boy anyone had seen, with his sallow face, and stringy, black hair. His pale skin suggested lack of sunlight, although his love of this park told otherwise. Each day would find him sitting in this very park, reading books quite thicker than any boy his age would read, whose covers many thought peculiar, as they bore titles such as "Standard Book of Spells, Grade One" and "Magic Throughout the Ages".

On this particular day, Severus was hiding in the bushes in the park, watching two girls, sisters, swinging. One of them, obviously the youngest, swung a great deal higher than her sister did.

"Lily, don't do it!" the elder girl commanded hopelessly as the younger let go of the swing and dove through the air, landing with unnatural grace and ease.

"Mummy told you not to!" the elder, Petunia, complained as she stopped her swing with her feet then carefully stepped off. "Mummy said you weren't allowed, Lily!"

Lily giggled and replied, "But I'm fine! Tuney, look at this. Watch what I can do."

Even though Petunia saw no one else in the park, she was reluctant to see Lily's "talent". Severus watched soundlessly as Petunia walked to Lily, frightened almost. Lily held a flower whose petals opened and closed rapidly.

"Stop it!"

"It's not hurting you!" Lily replied as she dropped the flower.

Petunia, eyes on the flower, told her sister, "It's not right." There was a pause, then, "How do you do it?"

Severus, unable to sit silently any longer, jumped up and announced, "It's obvious, isn't it?"

Screaming, Petunia ran back to the swings, while Lily stayed where she was, despite how startled she was.

"What's obvious?" Lily inquired as Severus felt a blush on his face, wishing he'd stayed hidden.

Glancing at Petunia, who was well out of earshot, he spoke more softly, saying, "I know what you are."

Intrigued, Lily asked, "What do you mean?"

"You're…" Severus began, then, after failing to come up with a lighter term, said bluntly, "You're a witch."

Apparently offended, she told him sternly, "_That's_ not a very nice thing to say to somebody!"

Angrily, she marched back to Petunia, Severus calling, "No!"

He flapped to the girls, who were both holding swing poles as if for protection from this strangely batlike creature.

"You _are_!" Severus told Lily. "You _are_ a witch. I've been watching you for a while. But there's nothing wrong with that. My mum's one and I'm a wizard."

'Unlike my no-good Muggle father,' Severus thought bitterly.

"Wizard! _I_ know who _you_ are. You're that Snape boy! They live down at Spinner's End by the river," Petunia told Lily, her tone suggesting contempt for the address and it's residents. Why have you been spying on us?"

Severus, uncomfortable under her scrutiny, replied, "Haven't been spying. Wouldn't spy on _you_ anyway. _You're_ a Muggle."

Even without knowing the word, Petunia picked up on his spiteful tone, saying, "Lily, come on, we're leaving!"

The two left the park, Lily glaring at Severus before she turned her back to him and followed her sister.

Severus watched them leave, staring at Lily longingly until she passed from sight around a corner. Defeated, he fell to the ground, unwilling to return home just yet. Laying back against the soft grass, he stared up at the sky, seeing nothing but her face.

As if her face were a depression medicine, he sat up quickly, determined to somehow convince Lily of what she truly was. Excited with his new confidence, Severus jumped up and followed the path Lily took, seeing her in the lawn at the house at the end of the lane. Petunia was with her and they were fighting.

"… dangerous! You could have killed me!"

"Tuney, I didn't drop you out the window! I swear I didn't!"

"What else could have? I was lying on my bed and then suddenly I was flown out the window and dropped!"

"You should be thanking me! I saved you!"

"No you didn't! You just got scared that you'd get in trouble! You did it because you're mad. You wanted to stay with that Snape boy, didn't you?"

"Even if I did, that's not you're business!"

Petunia laughed a cold, angry laugh, screaming, "I can't believe you'd chose that boy over your sister! I can't believe you'd hurt me so you can run away with that Snape boy!"

In a small voice, almost crying, Lily told her sister, "I didn't do it on purpose. I'm sorry, Tuney, I'm sorry!"

Again, Petunia laughed angrily.

"I HATE YOU, LILY!! I HATE YOU!! I DON'T EVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!!"

Petunia stormed inside, leaving Lily alone. Lily dropped to the ground tears coursing down her face.

When she saw Severus, she whispered, "Teach me how to control it! How do I control it?"

Severus, feeling immensely sorry for her, sat down beside her and explained, "I can't teach you how to control it, but I can tell how about our world so you'll be ready to go to Hogwarts."

"Hogwarts?"

"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. They'll teach you how to control your magic and it will all be better. The headmaster, Professor Dippet, will send you a letter sometime soon."

"Mummy says witchcraft is an evil, devil-worshipping occult."

"Hardly. Only people with abilities Muggles don't have."

"Muggles?"

"Non-magic people."

By this time, Lily's tears had dried and she was looking at Severus, interested.

"Lily! Dinner!" came a sweet voice from inside.

"I need to go. How about we meet in the park tomorrow?"

Severus thought briefly about it, then, seeming to have a better idea, suggested, "Come to the park and follow the path behind the slide."

Lily nodded. As Severus turned to go, she remembered something.

"Wait! I don't know your name!"

He paused, as if contemplating whether or not to tell her, then said, "Severus. Severus Snape."

"Severus. I like that name!"

He smiled, his pack still to her before leaving.

"Bye, Severus!"

"Goodbye, Lily!"


	2. Secrets and Spies

Chapter Two:

Secrets and Spies

Severus watched, excited, as Lily followed the worn path through the trees. She glanced around at the thicket, river, and soft grass upon which Severus sat.

Plopping down beside him, she asked, "What is this place?"

"It's a stream off the Thames. I call it the Butterfly Stream."

"Why's that?"

He gave no reply, simply pointed to a patch of clumsily planted lilies, which Lily thought was no coincidence. Mingling with the lavender flowers were about twenty butterflies flitting around, a bouquet of reds, oranges, blues, and greens.

"They're beautiful!"

"Very," Severus agreed.

Lily turned to look at him and saw he was staring at her rather than the butterflies. He blushed, the color bloodred against its pale palette.

"So, why're we here?"

"I need to tell you about the Wizarding World."

"Ooh, it sounds so interesting!" Lily giggled.

Severus half-smiled, which lit up his usually dull eyes.

"Well, there's a Ministry and a Minister of Magic who is sort of like… Oh, what do they call him…?"

"The Prime Minister?"

"Yes, thank you. He's our leader. There are lots of departments in the Ministry, like there's International Magical Cooperation, which takes care of the Quidditch World Cup…"

"I'm sorry, Quidditch?"

"It's a sport, played on broomsticks."

"Broomsticks?"

"Of course! There's four balls: two Bludgers, a Quaffle, and the Golden Snitch. Chasers try to score points with the Quaffle at the hoops on either end, while Bludgers try to knock them off their brooms. Keepers guard their teams hoops and Seekers try to catch the Snitch, which means 160 extra points for the team and the end of the game."

Lily shuddered. "Sounds dangerous."

"It is, but it's the most popular sport in our world."

"Sound rather like soccer."

"Soccer?" asked Severus, interested.

"It's a… Muggle sport."

"Oh."

By this time it had become rather dark, as they had started late in the afternoon.

"Have you ever seen a Quidditch match?" Lily questioned.

"No. Mum won't let me and Dad… well, he's opposed to anything magic."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I've upset you."

"Oh no, it's okay. It's just… they fight all the time. I've become rather used to it."

"Severus, I'm so sorry! I didn't know."

Standing up and turning away from her, he took a deep breath and began, "Mum didn't tell Dad she was a witch until after I was born and started doing magic unconsciously. Dad got angry, but he loves her. He wishes I was never born, though, because he blames me for their problems. Mum argues, says it was her fault for not telling him, but he refuses to listen, thinks she covering up for me…" He trailed off. "Thanks for listening, but it's dark. We should go."

Lily smiled and told him, "I'll see you tomorrow, I suppose?"

He nodded and she set off toward the playground. When Lily stepped out from behind the slide, she saw Petunia looking for her. Spotting her sister, Petunia marched over to her, hands on her hips.

"Where were you? Mummy's worried!"

"I was… exploring the park. There's so much out there!"

Petunia, still angry from their fight, demanded, "You met the Snape boy again and aren't telling me, didn't you?"

Lily, angry with her sister for not keeping to herself, told her, "It's none of your business who I meet and who I don't, is it?"

Petunia, clearly affronted, turned and stalked off. Lily ran ahead of her towards their house, then paused, letting Petunia go in front. Lily turned back to wave at Severus before she left.

The next day found them again by the river.

"What should we start with?" Lily asked.

"How about Azkaban?"

"What's that?"

Severus, a grim expression on his face, replied, "Azkaban is the wizard prison. It's guarded by dementors, who are black-cloaked things who make the world feel cold and dark and like it will never be happy again. And some prisoners get the Dementor's Kiss, which means it sucks the soul out of them."

Lily shivered, suddenly cold in the bright morning light.

"That's terrible!"

Severus simply shook his head.

Lily, continuing, asked, "What kind of things are people punished for?"

"Oh, the usual: murder, stealing, being Death Eaters…"

"Death Eaters?"

Severus look surprised, then explained, "There's a dark wizard and no one speaks his name. We call him He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named or You-Know-Who."

"What's his name?"

He hesitated, then replied with difficulty, "Voldemort. But he's gathered followers he calls Death Eaters and you can be killed for being a Death Eater."

Neither of them said anything for a moment, then Severus continued, "And the Ministry can punish you if you've done magic outside of school."

Lily's eyes got wide and she cried, "But I _have_ done magic outside of school!"

Severus explained, "We're all right, we haven't got wands yet. They let you off when you're a kid and you can't help it. But once you turn eleven and they start training you, then you've got to go careful."

A twig fell and Lily picked it up, imagining it was a wand and golden sparks were erupting from it.

"It _is_ real, isn't it? It's not a joke?" she asked, dropping the twig. "Petunia says you're lying to me. Petunia says there isn't a Hogwarts. It _is_ real, isn't it?"

He told her, "It's real for us. Not for her. But we'll get the letter, you and me."

"Really?" she said breathlessly.

"Definitely."

Lily noted how impressive he looked, how confident.

"And if will come by owl?"

"Normally. But you're Muggle-born, so someone from the school will have to come and explain to your parents."

"Does it make a difference, being Muggle-born?" worried Lily.

She noticed Severus hesitated, then said, "No. It doesn't make a difference."

"Good."

"You've got loads of magic. I saw that. All the time I was watching you…" he trailed off, seeing she laid back and gazed upwards.

"How are things at your house?"

Severus' face distorted, unreadable, as he replied, "Fine."

"They're not arguing any more?" Lily asked, surprised.

"Oh yes, they're arguing."

Unconsciously, he began tearing leaves apart. "But it won't be long and I'll be gone."

"Doesn't your dad like magic?"

"He doesn't like anything much."

They paused, then Lily said, "Severus?"

He smiled as she said his name.

"Yeah?"

"Tell me about the dementors again."

"What d'you want to know about about them for?"

Lily whispered, "If I use magic outside school…"

"They wouldn't give you to the dementors for that! Dementors are for the people who do really bad stuff. They guard the wizard prison, Azkaban," he reminded her. "You're not going to end up in Azkaban, you're too…"

Another blush crept up on him and he started shredding leave again. A rustling surprised them and they turned.

"Tuney!" Lily exclaimed, happy to see her sister.

"Who's spying now? What d'you want?" Severus shouted at her.

Pausing for a brief moment, Petunia sneered, "What is that you're wearing anyway? You mum's blouse?"

A loud crack preceded a branch falling and hitting Petunia's shoulder.

Bursting into tears, the eldest Evans sister ran away as Lily cried, "Tuney!"

She turned to Severus, saying, "Did you make that happen?"

Looking scared yet determined, he replied, "No."

"You did! You _did_! You hurt her!"

"No… No, I didn't!"

but he could not convince her. She glared at him the ran after her sister, leaving Severus miserable and alone.


	3. Letters

Chapter Three:

Letters

"Tuney, listen to me! Severus didn't mean to hurt you!"

"Oh, now you're defending him! He's not worth it, Lily. You don't need to be hanging out with him!"

Lily ignored her and turned away to look out the window.

"He's not worth it, Lily!" Petunia repeated.

Neither of them heard their mother calling for bed.

Sounding older than usual, Lily told her sister, "Petunia, you have absolutely no right to determine who my friends are!" 

Tired of arguing with her sister, Petunia turned and left the room.

Lily flopped down on her bed, thinking, 'Why did I defend him? He hurt Tuney! It's his fault.'

In her mind, she heard a voice ask, 'Is it really? Petunia was the one spying on you!'

Lily felt tears sting her eyes as she thought about her lost friendship with Petunia.

An owl flew past her window, bearing a letter. Thinking it was meant for her, she opened the window. The owl ignored her and entered Petunia's room. Shocked, Lily took a split second to make her decision.

Taking a bundle of pillows, she recreated her sleeping form under the covers f her bed and climbed out her window.

Frightened but thrilled with her little adventure, she hurried down the street, turning onto Spinner's End and coming to the smallest house, she took a pebble and walked around the house, searching for a room that looked like it belonged to Severus.

She saw him sitting up in the smallest room, listening to the angry voices in the next room. Throwing the pebble against the window, she waited for him to respond.

The arguing voices drowned out her attempt.

"_Severus_!!"

No matter how hushed it was, Severus, as if attuned to her voice, turned to the window. Swiftly he flew to the window and opened it.

"Lily! What are you doing here?"

"Severus, something's happened! Tuney got an owl! A letter by owl!"

He quickly climbed out the window and they ran wordlessly to Lily's house. They shimmied in through her window and Lily led him out into the hallway. Severus ducked back into her room as Petunia left her room to enter the bathroom.

"C'mon!"

The two snuck into Petunia's room and quickly located the letter.

Lily read over Severus' shoulder the beautiful handwriting before them.

Miss Petunia Evans,

Thank you for your letter. It always delights me to hear a child so eager to be a witch or wizard. However, I cannot make you magical, nor can the desire to be so. Surely you will assist Lily in any way you can in her studies and in return she may help you by making things magical for you. I apologize, as I am sure this must be a very devastating blow on your part.

Regards,

Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore

Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Head of Wizengamot

The two finished simultaneously and stared at each other.

"How did she contact him?" Severus asked in a whisper.

Lily didn't reply, simply left the room, Severus behind her. As soon as Lily's bedroom door was shut with them inside, they heard Petunia exit the bathroom.

"Severus, what does this mean?"

He didn't reply immediately. Pacing from the window to the door, in front of Lily, who sat on her bed, he almost forgot her.

Finally, "I don't know. If Petunia can contact Dumbledore…"

"Who's he?"

"Headmaster of Hogwarts, most brilliant wizard ever, and the only one You-Know-Who is afraid of."

"Wow…" Lily whispered, awed.

"There must be a wizard working at the post office to owl wizard things to the recipient."

Footsteps echoed on the stairs, coming towards Lily's room.

"Hurry! Hide in the closet!"

Severus opened the door and threw himself inside, closing it as Lily shoved the pillows to the floor and lay down, covering herself just as the door opened.

"Lily?" came her mother's voice.

The girl struggled to make her breathing the slow, deep rhythm of someone asleep.

"Lily, are you still awake? You've got a visitor."

Lily stepped out of bed and, with an apologetic look at Severus, followed her mother out the door.

Severus waited, pressed against Lily's Sunday dresses, for what seemed like hours, but was in truth only fifteen minutes.

When Lily came back, she was radiating happiness.

"It's okay, Severus. It's only me."

He staggered out of the closet and gave her an inquiring look.

"It was Professor Dumbledore. I've got my letter."

Eyes shining, Lily handed Severus her letter. At the same instant, an owl tapped on the window. Lily let him in and he flew to Severus, delivering _his_ letter.

Without bothering to open it as the owl flew away, he cried softly, "We're going to Hogwarts!"

Forgetting their problems with Petunia, Lily grabbed his hands and they danced around the room.

Every so often one of them would whisper, "We're going to Hogwarts!" and they'd start dancing again.

Outside, a tall man with a long white beard, cloaked in black, looked at the window and smiled as he saw the half-blood dancing with the Muggle-born, the snake and the lion finally one.


	4. And We Embark

Chapter Four:

And We Embark…

Severus hurried down the corridor of the Hogwarts Express. Entering a compartment, he saw Lily, relieved.

Except she was crying.

"I don't want to talk to you."

Surprised, he asked, "Why not?"

Sobbing, Lily told him, "Tuney h-hates me. Because we saw that letter from Dumbledore."

"So what?" Severus replied insensitively.

With an angry glare, she shot back, "So she's my sister!"

"She's only a…"

But before he finished, he caught himself, sitting down across from her, by the window. Lily didn't hear him as she wiped her eyes in an attempt at inconspicuous.

Exhilarated, Severus changed the subject, saying, "But we're going! This is it! We're off to Hogwarts!"

A partial smile lit up Lily's face as Severus exclaimed, "You'd better be in Slytherin."

A boy sitting at the other end by the door with black hair snorted, "Slytherin? Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?"

The boy at whom he directed the question, a rather dog-like one, didn't smile as he said, "My whole family have been in Slytherin."

"Blimey. And I thought you seemed all right!" the first boy exclaimed as the second smiled finally.

"Maybe I'll break the tradition," the second speculated. "Where are you heading, if you've got the choice?"

As if he had a sword, the first raised his hand, saying, " 'Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart.' Like my dad."

Severus gave a noise of disgust.

"Got a problem with that?"

"No," Severus sneered. "If you'd rather be brawny than brainy…"

"Where're you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?" interrupted the second boy.

Both burst into taunting laughter.

Angrily, Lily insisted, "Come on, Severus, let's find another compartment."

"Ooooooo…"

Both boys mimicked her as they left.

Before the door slammed, one of them called, "See ya, Snivellus!"

Instead of following Lily to another compartment, Severus sank down against the wall.

"Who are they?"

Lily didn't reply. She sat down beside him as a girl walked towards them.

"Hi! I'm Minerva. I'm a 6th year."

"I'm Lily and this is Severus. We're first years."

Minerva took one look at the compartment and told them, "That's James Potter and Sirius Black. Ignore them, they're as arrogant as anything."

Seeing their surprised faces, she added, "Sirius vacations down the street from me and Mr. Potter works with my dad."

She looked again at them and said, "Come with me. You can sit in my compartment."

Lily stood up and helped Severus up. They followed Minerva down to the first compartment. Inside were two people, a boy and a girl.

"This is Lily and Severus!" she introduced them to the others.

"I'm Arthur Weasley."

"He's a first year, too. She's a third year," Minerva explained, pointing to the girl.

"Oh, hello. I'm Sybill," the girl announced in a dreamy voice before going back to her upside-down book.

Severus and Lily sat down next to Arthur, across from Minerva and Sybill.

"So," Minerva began, very businesslike.

They waited for her to continue.

After a few moments pause, she started interrogating them.

"What happened with Potter and Black?"

Lily quickly replayed the situation and, when she had finished, immediately regretted it.

Severus sank down, slumping against Lily's shoulder as Arthur exclaimed, "Slytherin?!"

Minerva held up her hand to silence him, saying, "We all have your preferences. Don't judge him simply because his preference is not Gryffindor."

"But, Slytherin, Minerva! You-Know-Who himself…"

"Enough, Arthur!"

In a small voice, Lily asked, "What's Slytherin?"

An awkward silence fell over the group. Even Sybill looked up from her book. Then everyone started laughing, except Lily, who blushed.

Severus gave Lily a sympathetic smile between spurts of laughter as Minerva explained, "The four Hogwarts houses are Gryffindor for the brave, Ravenclaw for the brilliant, Slytherin for the powerful, and Hufflepuff for… everyone else."

Lily noted Minerva didn't seem to think much of those in Hufflepuff. Sybill glared at Minerva, obviously a Hufflepuff herself.

Suddenly, Lily understood why Severus liked Slytherin: raised impoverished and powerless, being as prestigious as He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named looked appealing.

Minerva cried, "Lily, you need to put on your robes!"

Indeed, Lily saw she was the only one still in her street clothes. As if on cue, Arthur led Severus from the room.

As Lily struggled into her uniform, Minerva adopted a gossipy tone and asked, "So, what's with you and him?"

Almost immediately, suspiciously, Lily replied, "Who, Severus? He's just my best friend. We live near each other."

There was a small hesitation, then Minerva asked, "I'm curious: are you 'pureblood'?"

It took her a moment to realize what she meant, then relied, "No, I'm Muggle-bor. Does it make a difference?"

Again, the older girl hesitated before telling Lily, "Not really, but there are those specific people, mostly Slytherins, who despise anyone who isn't a pureblood. "What's Severus?"

"Oh, him? You'll have to ask him that question."

"You're a great friend."

At that moment, Lily opened the door, feeling strange in her robes. Arthur and Severus came in as a voice announced their arrival to Hogsmede Village, saying to leave their luggage, it would be taken care of.

"Well, here we are!" Arthur exclaimed.

As they exited the train, they heard a voice call, "Firs' years!"

Minerva explained, "That's Hagrid. He was expelled his third year. No one knows why. He's harmless. Don't worry."

She and Sybill hurried off in the opposite direction, leaving Arthur, Lily, and Severus standing on the platform.

"Shall we?" Arthur asked.

The three walked awkwardly to the huge man with the bushy beard. He looked hardly older than Minerva, though he was much bigger.

"Well, hullo, there. I'm Rubeus Hagrid. Keeper of the Keys and Grounds here a' Hogwarts," he introduced in his rough accent once the first years were alone on the platform.

He led them to a gigantic lake where a fleet of rowboats floated.

"No more'n four ter a boat!"

Arthur, Severus, and Lily scrambled for a boat, followed by a rather bookish looking girl who introduced herself as Ellenora.

"I prefer Elle though," she pointedly insisted.

In the next boat, Black, Potter, and two other boys, one rather gray and tired, the other short and clingy-looking, rowdily boarded.

Hagrid, who sat alone in his own boat, shouted, "Everyone in? Okay- FORWARD!"

The boats began moving at once. It was then that Lily noticed the towering castle.

"Wow! It's beautiful!"

Indeed, the lights lip up the once-morbid castle, making it cheery, yet intimidating.

"Heads down!" Hagrid yelled as they reached the cliff upon which the castle stood.

A curtain of vines hid a passageway through the cliff. Under the castle they sailed until a small harbor of sorts was visible. They climbed out, saying nothing as they followed Hagrid out of the underground tunnel into the lawn before the school. Up the stone steps to the oak door the clambered.

Hagrid knocked three times on the front door and they watched as if swung open.

"Merlin's Beard! What is it?" screamed Potter.


	5. The Sorting Hat's Song

Chapter Five:  
The Sorting Hat's Song

Frightened, Lily craned her neck to see what made Potter scream.

"Don't worry, it's only a professor," Severus told Lily in a calm voice.

"I'm Professor Ingrid. Follow me."

Potter's rude greeting seemed to make her short-tempered. As they rounded a corner into a large foyer, Lily caught a glimpse of Professor Ingrid. She was a tall, almost Amazonian-looking woman. She certainly wasn't British. Perhaps Egyptian, although her accent suggested Spain.

While thousands of voices poured from a room at their right, Ingrid led them into a room at the left. She began what Lily suspected was a prewritten speech. The students all heard very little of it. Lily caught glimpses of words such as "sorting ceremony" "houses" and "other students".

By the time she finished and left, a motley crew of ghosts entered. Lily learned that Sir Nicholas de Mimsy Porpington, or Nearly-Headless Nick, was the Gryffindor ghost and the Bloody Baron was the Slytherin ghost. They seemed to respect each other, which was more than Lily could say of the definite Slytherins and Gryffindors, such as Severus and Potter.

"Lily, c'mon. We're going."

Severus grabbed Lily's hand nervously as the first years paraded through a large archway into the Great Hall. On either side of them were two tables, four in all. Lily guessed they were for the four houses. The older students were observing the newcomers with a curious interest. Lily stared right back at most of them, but quickly averted her eyes from an unpleasant Slytherin with long blonde hair. He looked to be a fourth year, but she couldn't be sure.

Lily almost ran into Elle as the students stopped walking.

A pointed, black hat sitting upon a small wooden stool seemed to be the focus of everyone's attention. Suddenly, the brim opened up in a rip and words began pouring out of the hat.

"_Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,_

_But don't judge on what you see,_

_I'll eat myself if you can find_

_A smarter hat than me._

_You can keep your bowlers black,_

_Your top hats sleek and tall,_

_For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_

_And I can cap them all._

_There's nothing hidden in your head_

_The Sorting Hat can't see,_

_So try me on and I will tell you_

_Where you ought to be._

_You might belong in Gryffindor,_

_Where dwell the brave at heart,_

_Their daring nerve and chivalry_

_Set Gryffindors apart;_

_You might belong in Hufflepuff,_

_Where they are just an dloyal_

_Those patient Hufflepuffs are true_

_And unafraid of toil;_

_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,_

_If you've a ready mind,_

_Where those of wit and learning,_

_Will always find their kind;_

_Or perhaps in Slytherin_

_You'll make your real friends._

_Those cunning folk use any means_

_To achieve their ends._

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!  
And don't get in a flap!_

_You're in safe hands (though I have none)  
For I'm a Thinking Cap!"_

Everyone in the hall burst into applause as the hat flopped down again.

Ingrid pulled out a scroll and began reading off names.

"Avery, Stewart."

A tall, bespectacled boy who looked rather awkward lumbered up to the stool and put the hat on.

After a few moments, the hat called, "HUFFLEPUFF!"

One table, the students bearing yellow emblems on their robes, burst into applause as Stewart ran to join them.

Lily zoned out until she heard, "Black, Sirius."

The dog-like boy from the train shuffled up to the hat.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Lily could see Potter clapping fiercely.

Several more students were assigned and after "Emerson, Nancy" was assigned to Ravenclaw (she joined Elle happily), Lily heard her name called.

"Evans, Lily."

A little nervous, she sauntered to the hat and placed it on her head.

"Let's see, what have we here?" a voice asked quietly.

'Oh!' Lily thought. 'Are you the Sorting Hat?'

"Of course. Who else would I be? Now, where to put you? Very smart I see, also very loyal to your friends. Bravery and most likely a temper to go along with it!"

'Please, could I be in Slytherin?'

"Slytherin, now? Why would you want to be in Slytherin? Oh yes, your little friend. Severus. I'll see what I can do…"

Meanwhile, Severus watched Lily intently, praying, "Slytherin, please, Slytherin!"

"GRYFFINDOR!" screamed the hat.

Severus felt his heart break into a million pieces as Lily glanced at him one last time before joining Minerva at the Gryffindor table.


End file.
